


Heroes and Villains

by CoronaCrown



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Character Study, Civil War Team Iron Man, F/M, No Bashing, POV Peter Parker, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Protective Peter Parker, Time Skips, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22385014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoronaCrown/pseuds/CoronaCrown
Summary: Growing up, Peter had always seen Iron Man as a shield for Earth. But who's shielding Iron Man?
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 181





	Heroes and Villains

**Author's Note:**

> There's no bashing on Steve in this fic, but there is just a bit of criticism.

As a kid, Peter Parker had a black and white view of good and bad. When someone did something bad, they were to be punished. When someone did something good, they would get a reward. It happened when he was five and broke three pairs of glasses in two months, resulting in him being temporary blind until his parents could save money to buy a new pair. It happened when Uncle Ben would give him candy for having good grades in school, which motivated Peter to excel mostly in his sciences for more candy.

When he was seven years old, his parents took him to the 2008 Stark Expo. Chaos erupted; Hammer's knockoff Iron Man suits went rogue, creating an amass of people fleeing the grounds. During the panic, Peter got separated from his parents. But he wasn't scared; these rogue robots were the bad guys, and the bad guys always lost. He wasn't scared because Iron Man would be there to save the day. It's why he wore his plastic mask and the LED glove at the Expo.

One of the bots had neared him, a firearm on its shoulder. It could've killed him. Perhaps then, Peter should have run away. He was scared as the bot locked onto him.

He didn't run. He was scared. He didn't run. Heroes didn't run. Why should he?

He raised his right hand and lifted to the bot, ready to take it down himself if he had to. All of a sudden, Peter felt the ground tremor as something landed behind him, and a beam shot from above. 

The bot fell as Iron Man stepped around and said, "Nice job, kid," before taking off. Peter could only stare at the retreating figure before he looked down at his hand. 

As he grew older and more rational, Peter came to understand that it was Iron Man who had blasted the thing down. But at the time, with the imagination that only a child could conjure, he thought he had let the blast loose himself. 

His parents finally found him, his mother tightly wrapping her arms around him and his father guiding the both of them to safety. 

Once the situation was contained and the perpetrators dealt with, along with the injured being tended to (it was a miracle no one had died that day), Peter, still being held by his mother, turned to his parents and said, "I think I have powers."

Later in life, Peter would learn that the reason his parents had laughed in response was because the shock had worn off, replaced by relief and mirth that he wasn't traumatized. 

Peter was living with Uncle Ben and Aunt May when the Chitauri invaded Manhattan. The invasion was contained in the district, they never made it past Queens. He was relieved at that. He had already lost his parents, he didn't want to lose the last of his family.

When Iron Man took the nuke into the hole in the sky, and came falling out of it to be caught by the Hulk, Peter was in awe.

"I wanna be a superhero when I grow up!" he announced that night as the news of the invasion played.

Aunt May smiled. "Then you better eat those veggies if you want to be big and strong like Captain America."

Peter frowned. Not just at the fact that he needed to eat his vegetables, but also the fact that he wasn't much of a fan of Captain America in his youth, the comics and old TV shows that Ben watched didn't make him look real. Peter was a fan of things that were real. 

He didn't watch many cartoons, instead tuning to the Discovery Channel and watching the documentaries they aired. That wasn't to say he never watched cartoons; they just didn't appeal to him as much. 

And on the list of things that were real, Iron Man risking his life to save the city was very real. Sure, Captain America and the other Avengers did their part, but Iron Man was the one in the spotlight the most. He had been for years, a new group of heroes didn't change anything.

The villains, that is, the aliens, had lost. They were gone, and the man responsible for bringing them was also being taken care of. 

But as Peter grew older, the world got scarier. 

For as smart and brilliant as he was, Peter never truly made the connection that Tony Stark was Iron Man, not until the Chitauri incident. When the news showed Tony Stark's Malibu mansion falling into the sea and pronouncing him dead, he was distraught. 

When a second alien attack in London made noise, Peter realized just how delicate the planet was.

When a hostile robot lifted a whole city, resulting in the deaths of thousands, Peter lost his uncle.

In the days that followed, Peter used his newly acquired powers to track down the man that killed his uncle in a botched robbery. He was careful with his strength when he knocked the man unconscious, then used an old rope to tie him up and leave him for the police to find, the gun in plain view.

For the next two years, he followed this same principle. The heroes were the ones to get the bad guys in trouble. His costume did nothing to protect him, but some kind of sixth sense had been installed in his head and helped him avoid graphic injury. 

Sometimes he would think about how Tony Stark almost died when a terrorist blew up his house, or when he took the nuke up the portal. Both times, he almost died. Hell, he was pronounced dead. Sometimes he thinks of that will be him one day. He'll be leaving behind his aunt, and Ned would have no one to talk _Star Wars_ (Peter wasn't much of a _Star Wars_ fan, he couldn't even remember some of the character's names).

He worries about leaving them behind and almost stops. Almost.

"If you want to be a hero," Uncle Ben had said that night, while the news was still airing, "then you need to take responsibility. That's what Iron Man did, see? He has great power, and took great responsibility. You need to do the same."

"Easy, Buddha," Aunt May smiled. "He's eleven, not the President."

"Never too early for wisdom," Uncle Ben argued. They talked about dinner after that.

Thinking about that all over again makes Peter continue. He was careful to not let anyone know, but maybe he messed up somewhere.

Tony Stark himself showed up in his living room, conversing with his aunt like May had known this man all her life. Peter tried to act nonchalant, but Mr. Stark found him out, and just like that, he was on a plane to Germany (and officially behind on his homework).

They told May that he would stay at the Tower for a day or so so Peter could get used to the layout. Peter hated lying to his aunt like that, but Mr. Stark personally looked for him! For superhero business!

And it turned out the business had to do with a faction of the Avengers going off book because of the Accords. They seemed to be against it, but Peter didn't know why. The draft was available to the public on the UN website, and while it did need touching up here and there, Peter could see himself signing. 

When he asked Mr. Stark about it, he simply said, "We'll talk later, kid."

Peter injured his rib cage, but a few hours later after being examined by a Dr. Cho did she give him a clean bill of health due to his accelerated healing

After homecoming and Mr. Stark's and Pepper's engagement ("Why is she 'Pepper' and I'm still 'Mr. Stark'?"), Peter more or less became a real intern for Stark Industries. Or more accurately, for Mr. Stark himself. It gave them the chance to work together on the soft suit before Peter could officially pilot the Iron Spider.

It was one of these as Peter presented his intern's badge to the front desk and rode up Mr. Stark's private elevator. Friday informed him that Mr. Stark would be late, and he was instructed to wait in the lounge of the living room.

"Can't I be real sneaky-like and work on something quietly?" Peter asked.

Friday was silent for a moment before saying, "I trust you on this, Mr. Parker. Please be quiet."

Peter frowned. That didn't sound good. 

The elevator stopped at the lab's floor, one story under the penthouse. The doors to the actual lab were already open, and Peter stepped warily inside.

When he saw Mr. Stark, Peter froze in place. He was sure Mr. Stark would turn around, or speak without looking at him. But he didn't.

"Boss," Friday said, "Peter's arrived at the lounge."

Peter raised an eyebrow.

"Kay, good, Fri."

There were a few seconds of silence before Friday spoke up again. "This isn't healthy for you, Boss."

Mr. Stark sighed, dropping his hands from whatever was showing on the holo-screen. "Fri..."

"Miss Potts agrees with me," Friday said. "You're putting too much effort into bringing the rogue Avengers back."

Peter inhaled sharply. Mr. Stark was trying to bring back the people who broke the law an became terrorists in the eyes of the law?

"We need them," Mr. Stark said. "I don't want to spend anymore time with them than I have to, but we need them. Something's coming, and we need the numbers."

Peter went back upstairs, thinking about how Mr. Stark looked. He looked tired, his face pale and his eyes baggy. Had he not slept at all since they met the week before? Since every week since he began interning? Since Captain America and the others left the world behind?

When Mr. Stark came up an hour later, apologizing for making him wait, Peter nodded and smiled. His face was filled with color, and the bags were gone. His hair was also damp.

 _Shower and makeup,_ Peter thought. 

It turns out good and bad weren't as black and white as Peter used to think.

 _You've been a hero all this time,_ he thought as he was led back down to the lab. _You take care of everyone, both heroes and villains if you can't help it._

_Let me be a hero, Mr. Stark. I'll take care of you this time. I promise._


End file.
